Spanish police shoot dead knife-wielding attacker

A man armed with a knife attacked a police station in the north-eastern region of Catalonia, Spain, and was shot dead at the site, local police said on Monday.

The attack happened at around 5.50 a.m. local time (0350 GMT) in the town of Cornella de Llobregat (south of Barcelona) when a man armed with a knife shouting "Allahu Akbar", which means in Arabic "God is great", was later shot and killed.

The attacker was confirmed to be a 29-year-old of Algerian origin, but with Spanish nationality, according to newspaper La Vanguardia.

The police station has been cordoned off following the attack as investigations continue with agents from the the General Commission of Information and high-ranking officers of the Mossos d'Esquadra also visiting the scene.

This attack comes just three days after the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on La Ramblas in Barcelona and in the town of Cambrils which claimed 15 lives in Barcelona and one in Cambrils.